"The border"
That is the name of the small group of houses you can see in the image above. It is located on the edge of a mountain in the Serranía del Perijá, very close to the border between Colombia and Venezuela. We had the opportunity to spend a week there at the beginning of January to visit a community of the Yukpa ethnic group, which we had been interested in visiting for some time, together with the missionaries who worked there for more than 10 years. (We have a short video for you at the end).
The time there was very fruitful. Spending a week there helped Eimy gain a more realistic view of the place, the people, the work, and the difficulties involved in serving there. We asked the missionaries many questions about life there, and they were very kind in answering all our questions.
We visited several families during that week. The missionaries introduced us as their friends. Some remembered that Jordan had been there before, and his Yukpa name, Osepio. Eimy and our friend were also given Yukpa names. Eimy's was Machacutena. So that's how we introduced ourselves when we met new people, Osepio and Machacutena.
After this trip, we are convinced that this is the place we want to start walking towards, taking steps of faith.
Upon returning, we attended the annual missionary conference, where the leaders mentioned to us that we will soon have a meeting with them where they will talk to us about what it would be like to work there and what is necessary. We know that entering a tribe here in Colombia requires a somewhat lengthy process with the government, and a team is necessary so that we don't start working alone. Please pray that the Lord will open doors for us if this is His will.
Thank you for praying with us for:
- The meeting with the leadership regarding the work among the Yukpa people, which we believe will take place at the end of February, and the possibility for us to serve there as full-time missionaries.
- Our work at the institute and at the local church, where we continue to serve for the time being.
- Provision for weddings we want to attend: Emily's (Eimy's sister) and Benjamin's (Jordan's brother).